Trump condemns 'egregious display of violence and bigotry' in Charlottesville

President Trump publicly denounced a deadly eruption of violence at a Virginia rally of white nationalists Saturday, declaring that the "hatred and division must stop.''

Trump, interrupting a signing ceremony for legislation benefiting veterans at his New Jersey golf club, called the street clashes, ending with a car plowing through a group of counter-protesters, "very, very sad.''

White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" exchange insults with ...more

White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" exchange insults with counter-protesters as they enter Lee Park during the "Unite the Right" rally Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va.

Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

"I condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of violence and bigotry,'' Trump said, calling for a "swift restoration of law and order.''

But white nationalist leader David Duke quickly seized on Trump's comments, calling on the president to "to take a good look in the mirror (and) remember it was white Americans who put you in the presidency.''

Duke's remarks were a reminder of the challenge Trump faces when addressing issues of race, as members of the alt-right often rallied to the side of Trump's contentious campaign.

Although he offered a condemnation, Trump did not single out the hate-fueled white nationalist movement. Rather, he suggested that "many sides'' were responsible for Saturday's unrest.

He did not elaborate, other than to to say that such conflict "has been going on for a long time in our country.''

"Above all else, we must remember this truth," Trump said. "No matter color, creed, religion or political party, we are all Americans first.''

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a one-time Trump rival, appeared to rally to the president's aid, tweeting that it was "very important for the nation to hear @potus describe events in #Charlottesville for what they are, a terror attack by #whitesupremacists."

Trump addressed the unrest in Charlottesville, Va., where Gov. Terry McAuliffe earlier declared a state of emergency when the alt-right protest of the city's planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee turned deadly.

Later, McAuliffe, who blamed the white supremacist movement for inciting the violence, said that he had called on Trump during telephone conversations Saturday to help cool strident rhetoric that has taken hold of common public discourse.

We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!